Noticias

• Regional Childcare Faces Uncertainty
• Vaccine Season Approaches
• Script Club Brings the Drama

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Regional Childcare Faces Uncertainty

Childcare in Colorado and San Miguel County is facing funding uncertainty amidst a $1.2 billion tax revenue shortfall in the state’s budget, a gap tied to President Donald Trump’s tax cuts. State legislators recently wrapped up a special session that produced a new budget, which Gov. Jared Polis signed into law last week with $252 million in cuts.

Some of those cuts include childcare funding in San Miguel County. Childcare providers, nonprofits, and Linnea Edwards, the county’s Health and Human Services director, presented to the County Commissioners at their Aug. 27 meeting about upcoming financial pressures.

“We knew as a state that we were going to be significantly overspent in child care and San Miguel County, of the significantly overspent counties, was the only small county on that list, and so we were facing some financial worries moving forward, not just for this fiscal year, but also the next few fiscal years, as federal rules started being put into place that we had a requirement to follow that would increase cost so that would increase things such as continuous enrollment, and increase the provider costs over time,” Edwards said.

Local childcare funding typically comes from three sources: the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Strong Start, a voter-approved local initiative. These sources, combined with individual childcare center grants and family-paid childcare fees, make up the landscape of childcare in San Miguel County.

This blend of funding helps families cover childcare costs and pays providers for their services. Earlier this year, commissioners decided to put families on a waitlist for CCAP funding in anticipation of shortfalls. Edwards said that projection is now a reality.

“I think it was a long shot in the spring to get money to cover what we already had overspent. And these are conversations that I know the bigger, larger counties have been having for at least six months longer than we have. I think we, to be honest, I think we’re kind of late to the conversation. I think I got data, and I was like, oh my goodness, we have to have this conversation. And now I think we’re seeing it happen in real time. We have a year of data,” Edwards said.

Statewide, over $70 million in additional childcare funding will be needed over the next three years because of increasing enrollment. In San Miguel County, Edwards said the deficit will exceed $100,000 next year, largely from unfunded mandates for increased provider pay and new federal enrollment requirements.

Edwards said four families are currently on the CCAP waitlist, and while they could be onboarded for daycare funding, it is unclear how many more families will need assistance next year. She said the funding landscape will not improve if budget cuts continue.

Commissioner Anne Brown said the issue must be weighed with other upcoming funding requests.

“But the issue is, this is one of dozens of asks that we’re going to be getting, and we are going to have to recognizing the limitations of our budget for 2026 we are going to have to weigh all of those not individually, but together,” Brown said. “And so to say yes right away to four or six families is just, I think, a little irresponsible, knowing that there is other there are other [requests] coming. So let’s get some more information. Let’s get a little bigger view, bigger picture, of the additional asks from other, you know, areas that are going to be coming our way.”

Polis’s recent budget cuts also include a hiring freeze for state employees, reductions to higher education, and a redistribution of $100 million for affordable housing back into the general fund.

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Vaccine Season Approaches

Like it or not, cooler days are on the way — and fall, and even winter, will be here before you know it.

As the cooler months approach, San Miguel County Public Health is reminding the community to prepare for fall vaccines.

“The recommendation for fall vaccines — in that generic term — are still there. That includes COVID vaccines, flu, and RSV. All three of these illnesses tend to see a wave in the winter, which is why we prioritize this timeframe to vaccinate folks against these illnesses to minimize severe disease and hospitalization,” said San Miguel County Public Health Director Grace Franklin.

But this year, there are a few changes.

“For flu and RSV, same old same old. We recommend end of September, throughout October to get vaccinated for those that are eligible,” Franklin said.

For flu, that means anyone who is 6 months and older. For RSV, there are different types of vaccines — for infants and those who are 60 and older. There’s also a vaccine for pregnant people to pass immunity along to their child before birth.

COVID is a little different.

“The FDA changed the label, so who’s eligible for the vaccine,” Franklin said, referring to the Food and Drug Administration.

“That now includes only: everybody who is 65 and older. The other group that they shifted was for 6 months to 64-year-old. It used to be that everyone should get a booster or get that initial vaccine series. Now the FDA has changed the label to include individuals that have at least one high-risk condition that might put them at severe risk for COVID.”

However, in Colorado, the state health department on Thursday issued a public health order stating anyone 6 months and older is allowed to get the vaccine, regardless of risk factors.

With that said, it’s not guaranteed insurance will cover the cost.

Public Health has flu clinics scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 4, and Tuesday, Sept. 9, with more in the coming weeks.

Individuals can sign up for RSV vaccines on the county website, and COVID vaccines will be available later this month. Visit sanmiguelcountyco.gov for an appointment.

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Script Club Brings the Drama

The concept of Script Club is simple.

“Script Club is a book club but for scripts,” said Kevin Douglas, operations manager at Telluride Theatre and the leader of Script Club.

“There are so many amazing plays and screenplays out there that we often only think we get to experience on the stage or on the screen, but there’s a lot that can be learned.”

A new collaboration between Telluride Theatre and the Wilkinson Public Library, Script Club invites participants to read a script ahead of time and discuss it as a group.

The first script is True West by Sam Shepard.

“It’s the story of two brothers who grew up in the South — the action all takes place in the mother’s house, but they’re both grown men now, the mom has gone off on vacation to Alaska,” Douglas said. “It’s very much a power play between the brothers, weaponizing each other’s careers and ambitions and dreams, especially their failed dreams against each other. When you see the absurd lengths that they go to spite each other and top each other, it’s very entertaining and fascinating.”

In the final act, Douglas added, the house is full of toasters.

“To find out why, you’ll have to read the script,” he said.

In addition to discussing the plot, Douglas said the group will explore the history of productions of the show, watch clips, and talk about the process of writing the script.

“We’re starting with True West specifically because it’s mainly just two characters, these two brothers,” he said. “It’s not too much information to digest and you really get to relish in the language and dialogue. Sam Shepard is one of many playwrights who can write fabulous, gripping dialogue, and can create such tension, while also creating such humor at the same time.”

For those who have never read a script before, Douglas encourages them to give it a try.

“With a novel you build the world inside your head,” he said. “When you’re reading a play, you can hear the characters’ voices in that same way. When the story momentum is kept through dialogue — especially with plays, because so much of the action, and so much of the conflict and power play is through the things being said to each other — I think that’s a really fun convention that novels don’t always have the luxury of leaning on.”

The first installment of Script Club featuring True West will take place Tuesday, Sept. 9, at the Wilkinson Public Library from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Participants can find several copies of True West at the library. Digital copies are free online or on Hoopla, there are audiobook versions, or you can email [email protected] for a printed version.

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Cowgirl and Conservationist to Speak at Wilkinson Library

Join Sheep Mountain Alliance and the Wilkinson Public Library for a talk with cowgirl and ranch boss Heidi Redd. Redd is most known for purchasing the Indian Creek Cattle Company and the historic Dugout Ranch in the center of Indian Creek.

She partnered with the Nature Conservancy in 1997 to preserve the ranch’s biodiversity and unspoiled red rock scenery, and established the Canyonlands Research Center in 2009. The ranch has over 300,000 acres of grazing allotments in red rock country.

Redd’s new book, A Cowgirl’s Conservation Journey: Stories from the Dugout Ranch, explores her life as an adventurer turned rancher. Signed copies will be available after the talk, which begins Thursday, Sept. 4, at 5:30 p.m. at the Wilkinson Public Library.

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Trump Administration Seeks Rollback of Roadless Area Protections

The Trump administration wants to roll back protections for roadless areas in national forests. The 2001 rule prohibits road construction and reconstruction, as well as logging in designated areas.

Officials say the rollback is part of efforts to reduce wildfires, but environmental advocates argue wildfires are more likely to start in areas close to roads than in the backcountry.

Matt Dietz, director of science applications at the Wilderness Society, said roadless areas provide critical benefits.

“They provide habitat for wildlife species that are susceptible to fragmentation from roads,” Dietz said. “They provide unfragmented, uninterrupted area for wildlife to move in their daily and seasonal migrations, and they provide areas that are a source of drinking water for millions of Americans.”

Dietz added that in 2001, when the Roadless Rule was first established, over 90 percent of public comments supported protecting roadless areas. The administration has given the public just 21 days to comment on the proposed rescission, shorter than the usual month-long period. The deadline for comments is Sept. 19.

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Trump Moves Space Command Headquarters to Alabama

President Donald Trump is moving Space Command headquarters to Alabama, leaving behind its home in Colorado Springs. Caitlyn Kim reports for the Colorado Capitol News Alliance.

Story begins at 11:20.

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Wyoming Hosts State’s Biggest Sailboat Race

The Rocky Mountain West is hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean, but seafaring vessels can still be found on the white-capped waves of Wyoming’s biggest — and only — sailboat race.

For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KHOL’s Emily Cohen has more.

Story begins at 12:08.

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